Adjustable lamp-support.



' L.'E. NELSON.

ADJUSTABLE LAMP SUPPORT APPLICATION FILED MAY 27. 1915'.

1,169,345. Patented Jan. 25, 1916 2 MEETS-SHEET I.

49 a 52 I)? 4648 v 38 WITNE88E8: 5 v I INVENTOB, lwYM' BY ATTORNEY L. E. NELSON.

ADJUSTABLE LAMP SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27. 1915.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

milk/won WITNESSES:

Zyman Nelson w ATTORNEY citizen of the United States,

'LYMAN E. Nansen, on SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

ADJUSTABLE LAMP-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

application filed May 27, 1915. Serial No. 30,830.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LYMAN E. NELsoN, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented a certain new and 'useful Improvement in Adjustable Lamp-Supports, of which the following is a specification- My invention relates to improvements in adjustable lamp-supports, and the ,o bject' of my invention is to provide a lamp-support which shall embody an electric motor and associated mechanism that may be actuated at will to turn a lamp and its reflector to ,mobile to support an tical section on broken direct its rays of light toward any desired point of a semi-circle in response .to'the manipulation of an electric switch connected with the electric circuit within which said motor is included; and a further object of my improvements is to provide such an adjustable lamp-support that shall be especiall adapted to be attachedto an autoautomobile lamp and be actuated, in response to the manipulation of an electric switch that is attached to the rim of the steering wheel of said automobile, to turn said lamp and its reflector to a posi-' tion thatwill direct its rays of light to any desired angle within 45 degrees on either side of.the course traveled by such automobile. I attain these objects by devices illustrated by the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of an adjustable lamp-support embodying parts of my invention without an inclosing case', Fig. 2 is a plan view of parts of the same associated with electric circuits, an electric switch and a source of electricity; Fig. 3 is a view in vertical mid-section of an electric switch embodied in my invention as attached to a steering wheel of an automobile; Fig. a is an enlarged view of said switch in verline av, 00 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the structure of Fig; 4.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference numerals indicate like parts, a base-plate 7 is provided on its opposite ends with integral lugs 8 which are bent vertically upward for a distance, then inwardly on a horizontal plane, as'shown in Fig. 1, and each of such inwardly extended portions of such lugs 8 is provided with a hole, as holes 9, which holes 9 are disposed directly over holes 10 formed in said baseof the base-plate plate 7 whereby said base-plate 'imay be disposed on two studs of a well knownform of lamp-holder, not shown, which'is associated with some forms of automobiles,- which studs are adapted to fit within said holes .9 and 10 to support said base-plate 7.

Secured by screws 11 to the top surface worm-screw 16 whereby said shaft 17 maybe 7 are the legs of a bracket 7 12 to one leg of which bracket 12 is fastened.

rotated in response to a rotation of the motor shaft 15. Upon the top end-portion of the shaft 17 is fastened a bracket 19 upon which is mounted an automobile lamp 20 of well known form.

Secured to the underside of the worm gearwheel 18 is a disk 21, of material that is a non'conductor of electricity, to which disk 21 is secured a metal ring 22 in a position concentric with the shaft 17, said ring 22 be ing thus insulated said gearwheel l8 Disposed to engage with the underside of 23 and 24 respectively, which are mounted on a block 25, of insulating material, which block 25 is fastened to the top of the baseplate 7.

Fixed in the insulating disk 21 to project downwardly therefrom, periphery of the ring 22, is an insulated stud 26 which by its position is adapted to engage with the projecting end-ef one of the contact springs 23 and 24: to disengage it from contact with the metal ring 22 in refrom said shaft 17 and i said ring 22, at opposite points thereof, are electrical contact springs adjacent to the sponse to a rotary movement of the worm gearwheel 18 in either direction for a distance of forty-five degrees from the position A battery 29, or other source of electricity, serves to supply electric current for operating the motor 13 whose operation is controlled by an electric switch having five contact-points 30, 31, 32, 33 and 3d, the contactpoints 30 and being connected respectively with armature terminals 35 and 3(3 of the motor 13 by conducting wires 87 and 38 respectively, and the contact-point 31 being connected by a conductor 39 with one terminal 40 of the field-winding of the motor l3 whose other terminal ll is connected by lever 47 is moved from its position shown in Fig. 2 in a contra-clockwise direction to a position indicated by broken line a then the contact-spring 48 will form a path for current between contact-points 3% and 32 while the contact spring ll) will form a path for current between 30 and 31; but if the lever 47 be turned in a clockwise direction to the position indicated by the broken line b then said contact-spring l8 will form a path for current between contact-points 30 and 35 while the contact-spring 49 will form a path for current between contact-points 31 and normally however, the lever 47 is in a position (as indicated in Fig. 3) whereby the contact-spring 49 can engage with the contact-points 80, 31 and 32 only when said lever 47 is pressed inwardly against the force of a compression spring, as for instance, the compression spring 50 shown in Fig. 3, whereby an accidental clockwise or contra-clockwise movement only of the lever 4-.7 would make no effective change in the circuits of the apparatus. Thus, if it be desired to turn the light rays of lamp'20 from a direction straight ahead to one side for a distance of forty-five degrees then the operator will move the lever 47 to the position indicated by the broken line a of Fig. 2, and

then depress it to cause the contact spring 49 to engage With the contact points 30 and 31 whereupon current from the battery will traverse condluctor 42 to and through the field windings of the motor 13, thence through conductor 39 to contact-point 31, thence through contact-spring' ltl to conta tpoint 30, thence through conductor 37 to and through the armature winding of the motor 13, thence through conductor 38 to the contact point 32, thence through contact spring 4&8 to the contact-point 3d, thence through conductor to and through the contactspring 2 to the metal ring 22, thence to the contactspring 28 and thence through conductor to the other terminal of the battery 29, thus to actuate the motor 13 to turn the shaft 15 to cause the worm-screw 16 to revolve the worm-gear 18 and shaft 17 to turn the lamp 20 until its rays of light are turned sidewise for a distance of forty-five degrees whereupon the insulated stud 26 will engage with one of the contact-springs 23 or 2%, according to the direction of rotation of the motor 13, to force such contactspring from its contact with the metal ring 22 thus breaking the circuit-therethrough and stopping the motor. If however, it be desired to hold the lamps light rays at any particular angle within said distance of forty five degrees then when the lamp in its movement reaches such angle the operator will release the lever 47 which will then be actuated by the compression spring 50 to disengage the contact-wring 49 from the contactpoints upon which it rests to stop the motor 13 thus to hold the lamp 20 at such desired angle.

In Fig. 3 l have shown one plan of disposing the motor-controlling switch of Fig. 2 in association with the steering wheel 51 of an automobile to which my invention is applied, which switch is secured in an in closing case so that its lever l7 projects upwardly through a slot in the top portion of said case 52 to adapt it to be moved sidewise to open and close the-motor circuit and to be moved edgewise to change the polarity of the current in such circuit. The case is secured to the rim of the steering wheel 51 in any desired circumferential position thereon by a clamp in an obvious manner and the electrical conductors 37, 38, 39, 44: and (shown in Fig. 2) are'formed into a cable 54:, as shown in Fig. 3, which may be extended to the motor 13.

Figs. 4' and 5 are enlarged views of the case 52 indicating the relative positions of the chief operative parts of the switch con tained therein.

Manifestly, my adjustable lamp support may be employed in connection with lamps other than automobile lamps, as, for instance with -lamps for lighting docks, freight houses and railroad signal lamps; but when it is embodied in an automobile in the manner hereinbefore described, a lamp may be moved to direct its light toward any point within an angular distance of to ty five degreeson either side of the course of travel of such automobile by the manipulation of the lever 47. in an obvious manner.

If it be desired to limit the rotary movement of the lamp at different times to the angular distance of a particular portion of a circle thenthe stud 26 may be adapted to be adyustably changed in its angular posi- 1. In an adjustable lamp-support of the class described, the combination with a baseplate, of a shaft associated with said baseplate and disposed vertically to be rotatable; a lamp secured to the upper end of said shaft; a worm gearwheelsecurely mounted on said shaft concentrically therewith; an I electrically insulated metal ring associated with said shaft and said worm gearwheel in a position concentric therewith; an electric motor Whose shaft is provided with a worm screw-and which is mounted on said baseplate in a position so that said worm-screw engages with said worm gear-wheel; two contact-springs secured to and insulated from said base-plate and disposed to engage with one side surface of said insulated metal ring; an insulated stud associated with said worm gear-wheel and adapted to engage with each of said contact-springs to force it from engagement with said insulated ring in response to a rotation of said worm gearwheel; another contact-spring secured to and insulated from said base-plate and disposed to engage with'said insulated metal ring; a source of electricity; an electric polechanging switch; and electric conducting circuits disposed to connect'all of said contact-springs, said electric motor, said polechanging switch and said source of electricity.

2. An adjustable lamp-support which embodies a base-plate; a vertically disposed shaft rotatably mounted on said base-plate; a lamp secured to the upper end of said shaft; an'electric motor mounted on said base-plate and adapted torotate said shaft; a source of electricity; a combined circuit breaking and pole-changing switch; electric circuits connecting said switch, said motor and said source of electricity; and means associated with sa d-shaft for'openmg and closing one of said circuits in response to a rotation of said shaft.

3. An adjustable lamp-support which embodies an electric motor and an electric switch, said switch comprising five contact points, a pivoted switch-arm, a lever articulated with said switch-arm,- an insulated contact-spring'secured to said switch-arm, an

insulated contact-spring secured to said lever, said contact-points being-disposed in the circular path of said contact-springs and e elastic means for normally maintaining said lever in such position as will prevent its attached contact-spring from engaging with any of said contact-points.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 18th day of May, A. D., 1915. f

LYMAN E. NELSON. Witnesses:

H. A. MORRISON, A. HASKINS. 

